A few thoughts on an amazing day at NewSpring…
- Today we saw over 100 people receive Christ AND over 100 people get baptized…LOVE IT!
- Began the series “The Blessed Life” today with a BANG!
- Got to speak on money today…which is always tense because Jesus said it is the number one competitor for our heart! (Matthew 6:24)
- BUT…reality is that Jesus doesn’t want to be a part of our life…but rather He wants to BE OUR LIFE! (See Colossians 3:4)
- He doesn’t want to be ranked in our top ten—HE wants to be FIRST…and He will relentlessly pursue our hearts until He has that place!
- He didn’t die on a cross to be Lord of some but rather Lord of all…and “all” includes our money.
- Jesus said in Acts 20:35 that being blessed isn’t about receiving but giving.
- The primary reasons people do not give are fear and frustration…neither is an excuse for disobedience.
- It’s not that God needs our money…it’s actually that we need His blessing.
- It’s always amazed me that we can sing “Jesus Paid It All” and then whine and complain about the 10% that we’re commanded to give that HE blessed us with in the first place.
- As I once heard Bill Hybels say, “How can we stand in the shadow of a blood stained cross and refuse to do the bare minimum God asks of us when it comes to giving?”
- I’ve had people tell me that they are not tithers because that is “Old Testament,” but rather they are New Testament givers…which is AWESOME because there isn’t ONE example in the New Testament of a gift given to the church that was LESS than the tithe…it was always more!
- Putting God first in our finances isn’t something we “try for a while”—it’s a lifestyle we commit to!
- AND…when it comes to teaching on money I don’t want a thing FROM anyone…I want something FOR them…I want FOR them to learn to live in the financial freedom God promises us we can live in if we will just put Him first!
- Had fun talking about the errors in prosperity theology and poverty theology.
- Also had a blast talking about the fact that I CANNOT OUT-GIVE GOD!!! (Hannah gave ONE child to the house of the Lord - see I Samuel 1:24-28 - and God gave her back FIVE children - see I Samuel 2:18-21, also HIS promise in Malachi 3:10-12 and II Corinthians 9:6-15!)
- For those who are wrestling with this…I totally understand. I refused to put God first in the area of my finances for nine years after committing my life to Christ…but I can tell you from personal experience that Proverbs 3:9-10 is TRUE…it can’t be explained, only experienced!
- Yes, it takes faith to put God first in this area of your life - see Hebrews 11:6
- You can give without loving…but you CANNOT love without giving! (John 3:16)
- AND…here is my favorite part…in a message about TITHING over 100 people surrendered their lives to CHRIST! That’s a GOD THING! I LOVE IT!!! Only GOD can take credit for that!!!
- Only two more weeks in this series, this week laid the foundation for something I believe God is going to BLOW OUR MINDS with next week, already excited out of my mind about it.